A Watched Pot

Carol Johnson

March 31, 2011

If you read my first blog, I mentioned I love to grill. Well, would you believe a guy with a weed eater whacked my gas line and temporarily put me out of the grillin’ business? Astonishing, isn’t it? Dismayed, but not disheartened, I pondered my options.

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Then came my second source of dismay: My stove. I hate it. It is relatively new. It is the type with a flat surface where you can’t see the burners unless they are lit, which brings me to my next problem. While trying to boil water for pasta, the burner kept going off, then coming back on. Just about the time bubbles would form and there was one tiny, little tornado in the center of the pan, off went the heat. I was convinced there was a short in the wiring. Or, perhaps, as the old adage goes, “A watched pot…” I checked with the appliance store. Unbelievably, I was told it was made to cycle off and on that way. Who knew? Certainly, not I. Tip: Don’t buy a stove because it looks “cool.” My shrimp and peppers were sautéed and my angel hair pasta was lifeless. Reflecting upon these happenstances, I wondered if the forces of the universe were trying to tell me to “Back away from the stove with your hands in the air.” Humor helps and I did eventually eat.

This March challenge of “Get Cooking” has been a time of reflection. I’m not great about prep….remember, I’m the “Get in, get out, get done” personality. Keep it simple. I often think how my test-kitchen buddies would cringe at my corner-cutting technique. However, I have begun to adjust my mindset. Instead of, “Who is going to get my fast-food business today?” I have begun to think, “What am I going to prepare?” I have experimented: I made spaghetti with ground turkey rather than beef. It was surprisingly flavorful.

I’m encouraged and I’m trying, and in the end, isn’t that what it is all about?

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